Hazard One

We meet Bristol’s infamous HazardOne, who’s larger-than-life persona has inspired far beyond the walls she paints.

Graffiti artist, illustrator, designer: Which came first?

Does scribbling on things make you an illustrator?! I’ve been drawing on things since I can remember. My Dad is an amazing illustrator and created hand-rendered graphic design, storyboards and title sequences so drawing was always encouraged for me! I’ve always been mesmerised by large-scale artwork from when I was tiny - I remember seeing murals on holiday as a kid and wondering who got to paint them and how. I decided to give “graffiti” a go when I was 13, mainly because it was cool and I got to paint with my friends regularly. Spray cans didn’t work in the same way pens and brushes did and were so much harder to control. So I knew I had to paint more, see how other people painted, and practice can-control to try and get better. I came to Bristol more so for the city and its amazing graff scene than to study at Uni. I just knew I wanted to live here!

To be recognised as one of the top 5 female graffiti artists in the UK and one of the top 25 female street artists worldwide is a huge achievement. Do you find the graffiti game to be male-dominated?

Thank you! It’s quite a male-dominated scene in the same way as many of the hip-hop subcultures are male-dominated, but I have to say there has been an explosion of female artists onto the scene recently and I’m here for it! From personal experience, I have always felt comfortable and encouraged by the men around me in the scene and it’s been the same since I was starting out. It’s amazing to see more females in the street art world – the more the merrier!

“Humans have been writing their opinions and thoughts on walls since ancient times and it’s not stopping any time soon!”

Describe your style to us, and what would you say inspires you?

I like to create artwork that the community in which it is located, can feel a sense of ownership of. I love painting portraits, I love painting floral and foliage-themed pieces, and I love playing with colour and light. I always try to utilise the fact that murals change the landscape and visual environment around them so I do think it’s important that where possible artwork is representative and does take inspiration from its surroundings, whether that’s wildlife and nature or the community and culture.

You’ve created some amazing, quite strong political pieces, do you find them empowering to create?

I think public artwork is a great way to communicate, humans have been writing their opinions and thoughts on walls since ancient times and it’s not stopping any time soon! If I’m approached to paint artwork for a campaign that is beneficial to the world around us, then I’m always excited to be a part of that. I love painting large-scale artwork and if it gets across an important message at the same time, even better!

Your work is known worldwide and you’ve been commissioned for some amazing pieces. When did you first feel like things really took off for you?

I’ve been so fortunate to have had the opportunities I’ve had! I like to challenge myself and I also love to explore new places, so I think that has helped land me in some pretty strange and wonderful scenarios - particularly creating a mural at the top floor of the World Trade Centre in Manhattan. It’s also taken me to rural Norway, street festivals in Berlin, construction sites in Copenhagen, suburbs in Houston, mountains in Utah, and cafes in Tirana - you name it! It’s definitely not been a straightforward journey, I’ve been freelancing for 7 years and things have only become crazy-good in the last 3 or 4 years. With persistence and a lot of hard work I feel like I started getting taken more seriously and in turn I'm given more creative freedom, trust and acknowledgement.

"Bristol leads in its creativity because it’s never trying to be anything else and it’s the most inspiring thing to be part of."

What would you say is your favourite Bristol piece that you’ve created and why?

Tricky one, but I’d have to say the BS2 Lofts mural ‘Illuminate’. This mural is the tallest piece I’ve ever painted and it was a completely self-directed project, I’ve never been more out of my depth and as a result learned so, so much in such a short amount of time. The project happened as a result of receiving funding from Arts Council England as part of the ‘Develop Your Creative Practice’ fund – I wanted to step out of the world of only painting medium-sized walls and paint a whole building. The project came with all sorts of new experiences and learning including cherry picker licenses, the health and safety requirements of painting a 7-storey building, hiring other people, budgeting – basically becoming a project manager, and that was before designing or even thinking about the painting of the building! I wanted to paint a piece that was bold and empowering whilst also playing with rich colours and gradients. It’s probably my favourite, but like everything I’ve ever made, if I was to do it again, I’d definitely do it differently!

How do you find that the city and Bristol’s art scene inspire you?

Bristol leads in its creativity because it’s never trying to be anything else and it’s the most inspiring thing to be part of. Bristol is a doer! Bristol’s art scene is always on the move, there are world-renowned artists that keep coming back, there are artists passing through and there’s a music, animation and production scene that works in parallel, so I think it pushes everyone to keep outdoing each other!